Action 22.
Regular Board of Supervisors Meeting
County Sheriff
- Meeting Date:
- 06/12/2012
- Title:
- HIDTA Grant HT-12-2230 for Sheriff's Office participation in Southeastern Arizona Major Investigative Team (SAMIT) task force
- Submitted By:
- Rod Rothrock, County Sheriff
- Department:
- County Sheriff
Presentation:
No A/V Presentation
Recommendation:
Approve
Document Signatures:
BOS Signature Required
# of ORIGINALS
Submitted for Signature:
Submitted for Signature:
2
NAME
of PRESENTER:
of PRESENTER:
Rod Rothrock
TITLE
of PRESENTER:
of PRESENTER:
Chief Deputy
Docket Number (If applicable):
Mandated Function?:
Not Mandated
Source of Mandate
or Basis for Support?:
or Basis for Support?:
Information
Agenda Item Text:
Approve City of Tucson High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Grant Agreement HT-12-2230 with a term of January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013 providing a total of $109,659 in salary, employee related expenses, overtime, vehicle expenses and equipment to assign one deputy sheriff to the Southeastern Arizona Major Investigative Team (SAMIT), a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration drug enforcement task force.
Background:
For approximately the past 25 years, the Sheriff's Office has been the host agency for the Border Alliance Group (BAG), a multi-agency drug enforcement task force that was funded by both High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and Byrne Memorial grants. Over the past many years, we have experienced a continuing decline in both grant funding and other agency participation. This has lead to increasing operational difficulties for the BAG task force. While the future of HIDTA remains somewhat uncertain, indications are that the reduction of funding can be expected to continue. In view of the increasing public demand for the federal government to reduce the deficit and reduce spending, it is possible that the HIDTA program may terminated in the next few years. In examining our current situation we concluded that the opportunity was present to trasnfer existing personnel from grant funded positions into vacant general fund positions, thus reducing or eliminating the need to absorb or lay off positions if/when HIDTA funding is further reduced or eliminated. The AZ HIDTA then determined to create a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) headed task force, the Southeastern Arizona Major Investigative Team (SAMIT), to replace the Border Alliance Group and has provided funding for the Sheriff's Office to assign one deputy sheriff to the SAMIT unit. Those personnel whose salary was previously paid by the HIDTA will continue to conduct drug enforcement operations; however those operations will be focused with greater emphasis upon community based drug dealing as opposed to transnational trafficking as was required by HIDTA. Thus, the Sheriff's Office will continue to pursue transnational drug trafficking organizations via the SAMIT task force, and will also focus on local drug dealers who have a more direct negative impact to the quality of life in Cochise County.
This grant has been reviewed and approved as to form by Ms. Terry Bannon, Deputy County Attorney.
This grant has been reviewed and approved as to form by Ms. Terry Bannon, Deputy County Attorney.
Department's Next Steps (if approved):
Upon approval, the Sheriff's Office will select a deputy sheriff for assignment to the SAMIT task force, as well as assign other deputies to more aggressively pursue community based, local drug dealers.
Impact of NOT Approving/Alternatives:
If not approved, the Sheriff's Office will be unable to assign a deputy sheriff to the Southeastern Arizona Major Investigative Team.
To BOS Staff: Document Disposition/Follow-Up:
Upon approval, please return both original copies to the Sheriff's Office so that they can be forwarded to the Tucson Police Department, the fiduciary for the Arizona HIDTA.